Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Revelation (English → German)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering Revelation chapters 1-22. Terms already fixed in the Romans-curriculum baseline (translation_memory.json) are marked [BASELINE REUSE] and reused exactly, with no re-derivation. New terms are marked [NEW] and proposed here for addition to the translation memory and doctrine risk registry in a subsequent Phase 1 step. Risk tiers follow the baseline’s four-tier definition (Critical / High / Medium / Low) and drive Phase 2 review routing.
Category A: Divine and Christological Titles
| Term (English) | Greek | German Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | Gott | Critical | Sovereignty of God over History | throughout | [BASELINE REUSE] |
| Lord | κύριος | Herr | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 1:5; 11:15; 17:14; 19:16; 22:20-21 | [BASELINE REUSE]; must match Romans 10:9 exactly at every occurrence, incl. “King of kings and Lord of lords” and “Come, Lord Jesus.” |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | Jesus | Low | Return and Reign of Christ | throughout | [BASELINE REUSE] |
| Almighty | Παντοκράτωρ | Allmächtiger / der Allmächtige | Medium-High | Sovereignty of God over History | 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7,14; 19:6,15; 21:22 | [NEW] Stable German liturgical term; teaching material must preserve its high-frequency structuring function. |
| the First and the Last | ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος | der Erste und der Letzte | Critical | Deity of Christ | 1:17; 2:8 | [NEW] Direct OT divine-name-level claim (Isaiah 44:6); parallels John baseline’s Critical deity-claim entries. |
| Alpha and Omega | Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ | Alpha und Omega | Critical | Sovereignty of God over History | 1:8; 21:6; 22:13 | [NEW] Retain transliterated Greek letters per universal German Bible convention; requires explicit merism explanation. |
| the Amen | ὁ Ἀμήν | der Amen | High | Perseverance and Faithful Witness | 3:14 | [NEW] Unusual title-use of a liturgical exclamation as a personal name for Christ; pairs with “faithful and true witness.” |
| Faithful and True | πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός | treu und wahrhaftig | Critical | Perseverance and Faithful Witness / Sovereignty of God | 3:14; 19:11; 21:5 | [NEW] Must render identically at all three occurrences. |
| the faithful witness | ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός | der treue Zeuge | Critical | Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution | 1:5; 3:14 | [NEW] See “witness/martyr” entry below for full semantic-bridge discussion. |
| the Living One | ὁ ζῶν | der Lebendige | Medium | Resurrection / Sovereignty of God | 1:18 | [NEW] |
| firstborn from the dead | πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν | der Erstgeborene von den Toten | Low (via baseline match) | Resurrection of Christ | 1:5 | [BASELINE REUSE] exact match with Colossians 1:18 entry. |
| ruler of the kings of the earth | ἄρχων τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς | Herrscher über die Könige der Erde | Medium | Return and Reign of Christ / Sovereignty of God | 1:5 | [NEW] |
| the Lamb | τὸ ἀρνίον | das Lamm | Critical | Worship of the Lamb | throughout (28x from ch. 5) | [NEW, extends baseline]; continuity with John’s ἀμνός-based “Gottes Lamm” (lamb_of_god) but a distinct Greek word used as Revelation’s primary Christological title; must be taught as functionally equivalent in weight to a personal name for Christ within this book. |
| the Word of God | ὁ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ | das Wort Gottes | Critical | Deity of Christ | 19:13 | [BASELINE REUSE — vocabulary]; must connect explicitly to John 1:1’s “Im Anfang war das Wort.” |
| King of kings and Lord of lords | βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων | König der Könige und Herr der Herren | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 17:14; 19:16 | [NEW]; “Herr” must match Romans 10:9; high cultural recognition via Handel’s Messiah performance tradition in German. |
| the bright Morning Star | ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ λαμπρὸς ὁ πρωϊνός | der helle Morgenstern | Medium | Return and Reign of Christ | 2:28; 22:16 | [NEW]; requires disambiguation from any Lucifer/“light-bringer” association and OT background (Numbers 24:17). |
| the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord | ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου … τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν | Das Königreich der Welt ist unseres Herrn … geworden | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 11:15 | [NEW]; Handel-tradition familiarity in German choral culture. |
| Amen, come Lord Jesus | Ἀμήν· ἔρχου, Κύριε Ἰησοῦ | Amen; komm, Herr Jesus! | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 22:20 | [NEW]; canon-closing confession/prayer; “Herr” matches Romans 10:9. |
| the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all | ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ μετὰ πάντων | Die Gnade des Herrn Jesus sei mit allen | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ / Grace | 22:21 | [BASELINE REUSE — Gnade, Herr]; canon-closing benediction. |
Category B: Perseverance, Witness, and Persecution
| Term (English) | Greek | German Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| witness / testimony (martyr) | μάρτυς / μαρτυρία | Zeuge / Zeugnis | Critical | Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution | 1:2,5,9; 2:13; 6:9; 11:3-13; 12:11; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4 | [NEW] German-specific: distinct “Zeuge” vs. “Märtyrer” words unlike Greek’s single evolving term. Fixed rendering: “Zeuge/Zeugnis” throughout, with mandatory teaching-note flags at each verse marking the shift toward the “martyr” sense. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence. |
| the one who overcomes / conquers | ὁ νικῶν / νικάω | überwinden (“der Überwinder” / “wer überwindet”) | Critical | Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution | 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 5:5; 6:2; 11:7; 12:11; 13:7; 15:2; 17:14; 21:7 | [NEW] Fixed structural refrain across the seven letters and 21:7; German’s everyday secular sense (“etwas überwinden” = cope with a difficulty) risks flattening the persecution-specific meaning. Mandatory theologian review. |
| tribulation / affliction | θλῖψις | Bedrängnis (narrative) / Trübsal (fixed liturgical phrases, e.g. “die große Trübsal”) | High | Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution | 1:9; 2:9-10,22; 7:14 | [NEW] Register choice flagged for native-speaker review; recommend Bedrängnis as primary with Trübsal reserved for “die große Trübsal.” |
| patient endurance | ὑπομονή | Geduld / Ausdauer | Medium | Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution | 1:9; 2:2-3,19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12 | [NEW] |
| the two witnesses | οἱ δύο μάρτυρες | die zwei Zeugen | High | Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution | 11:3-13 | [NEW]; primary narrative anchor for the witness-to-martyrdom-to-vindication pattern; see “witness/testimony” entry above. |
| the souls of those slain (under the altar) | ψυχαὶ τῶν ἐσφαγμένων | die Seelen der Geschlachteten | High | Judgment of the Wicked / Vindication of the Saints | 6:9-11 | [NEW]; must cross-reference 21:4’s resolution. |
| the accuser | κατήγορος | Verkläger / Ankläger | Medium | Assurance of Final Victory over Evil | 12:10 | [NEW] |
| cowardly | δειλός | die Feigen / die Furchtsamen | Medium-High | Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution | 21:8 | [NEW]; distinguish faith-abandoning cowardice from ordinary psychological anxiety. |
Category C: Worship, Church, and Bride Imagery
| Term (English) | Greek | German Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| holy | ἅγιος | heilig | Medium | Sanctification / New Heaven and New Earth | 21:2,10; 22:19 | [BASELINE REUSE] |
| saints / holy ones | ἅγιοι | Heilige | High | Church as Bride of Christ / Vindication of the Saints | 5:8; 8:3-4; 11:18; 13:7,10; 14:12; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:8; 20:9 | [BASELINE REUSE] |
| priests to God | ἱερεῖς τῷ θεῷ | Priester | High | Church as Bride of Christ / Sainthood | 1:6; 5:10; 20:6 | [NEW]; directly engages the Sainthood doctrine’s Catholic/Protestant priesthood fault-line, made explicit rather than inferred. |
| living creatures | ζῷα | Wesen / lebendige Wesen | High | Worship of the Lamb | 4-5; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4 | [NEW]; mandatory lexical distinction from θηρίον/“Tier” — never “Tier” for ζῷον. |
| elders (twenty-four) | πρεσβύτεροι | Älteste | Medium | Worship of the Lamb | 4:4,10; 5:8,14; 11:16; 19:4 | [NEW]; distinguish from ordinary congregational “Älteste” office. |
| worthy | ἄξιος | würdig | Medium | Worship of the Lamb | 4:11; 5:2,4,9,12 | [NEW]; liturgical refrain force. |
| new song | καινὴ ᾠδή | neues Lied | Low | Worship of the Lamb | 5:9; 14:3 | [NEW] |
| Hallelujah | Ἁλληλουϊά | Halleluja | Low | Worship of the Lamb | 19:1,3,4,6 | [NEW]; fixed transliteration. |
| the bride, the wife of the Lamb | ἡ νύμφη, ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἀρνίου | die Braut, die Frau des Lammes | High | Church as Bride of Christ | 19:7; 21:2,9 | [NEW]; must be cross-referenced with, but not collapsed into, the Ephesians household-code submission material. |
| the marriage of the Lamb | γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου | die Hochzeit des Lammes | Medium-High | Church as Bride of Christ | 19:7,9 | [NEW]; deliberate contrast with Babylon-the-harlot imagery. |
| the Spirit and the bride say, Come | τὸ Πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ νύμφη λέγουσιν, Ἔρχου | Der Geist und die Braut sprechen: Komm! | High (doctrinal synthesis) | Church as Bride of Christ / Return and Reign of Christ | 22:17 | [BASELINE REUSE — Heiliger Geist] + [NEW — Braut] |
| synagogue of Satan | συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ | Synagoge des Satans | CRITICAL | Perseverance and Faithful Witness / Historical Sensitivity | 2:9; 3:9 | [NEW] THE highest-sensitivity term in this package. Mandatory theologian-authored anti-antisemitism framing required at every use, parallel in force to the Matthew baseline’s “his_blood_be_on_us” rule. Must clarify: specific local first-century opposition group, never Judaism or Jewish people generally. |
Category D: Judgment, Evil, and Apocalyptic Antagonists
| Term (English) | Greek | German Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| the beast | θηρίον | Tier | Critical | Judgment of the Wicked / Return and Reign of Christ (false counterfeit) | 11:7; 13; 16-20 | [NEW]; mandatory lexical distinction from ζῷον/“Wesen.” Resist speculative real-time identification with contemporary figures. |
| the great dragon / that ancient serpent / the devil and Satan | ὁ δράκων ὁ μέγας / ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος / ὁ διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς | der große Drache / die alte Schlange / der Teufel und der Satan | Medium-High | Assurance of Final Victory over Evil | 12:9; 20:2 | [NEW]; the book’s own explicit self-interpretation — paradigm case for the Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation doctrine. |
| mark of the beast | χάραγμα | das Malzeichen des Tieres | High | Judgment of the Wicked | 13:16-17; 14:9,11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4 | [NEW]; CRITICAL lexical collision risk with baseline’s “die Malzeichen Jesu” (Galatians 6:17, different Greek word, same conventional German rendering). Never render bare “Malzeichen.” |
| the number of the beast, 666 | ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦ, χξς̄ | die Zahl des Tieres, 666 | High | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation | 13:18 | [NEW]; heavy secular-cultural dilution in German pop culture requires active reclamation of textual meaning. |
| Babylon the great | Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη | Babylon, die Große | High | Judgment of the Wicked / Symbolic Interpretation | 14:8; 16:19; 17-18 | [NEW]; disambiguate from literal ancient city and from contemporary political mapping; explicitly an idolatrous system-symbol, not an ethnic/religious group. |
| the great prostitute | ἡ πόρνη ἡ μεγάλη | die große Hure | High | Judgment of the Wicked | 17:1,15-16; 19:2 | [NEW]; pastoral-sensitivity flag — OT prophetic idolatry-convention, not a statement about women; native-speaker AND theologian review recommended. |
| wormwood | ἄψινθος | Wermut | Medium | Judgment of the Wicked | 8:10-11 | [NEW] |
| the abyss | ἄβυσσος | Abgrund | Medium | Sovereignty of God over History | 9:1-2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1,3 | [NEW]; distinguish from “Totenreich” (Hades). |
| Abaddon / Apollyon | Ἀβαδδών / Ἀπολλύων | Abaddon / Apollyon | Low | Judgment of the Wicked | 9:11 | [NEW] |
| Armageddon | Ἁρμαγεδών | Harmagedon | Medium-High | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation | 16:16 | [NEW]; heavy secular byword dilution; reclaim textual, limited function. |
| Gog and Magog | Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ | Gog und Magog | Low | Judgment of the Wicked | 20:8 | [NEW]; OT (Ezekiel 38-39) intertextual reuse, not identical repetition. |
| the great white throne | ὁ θρόνος ὁ μέγας ὁ λευκός | der große weiße Thron | High | Judgment of the Wicked | 20:11-15 | [NEW]; pastoral framing required; teach in tandem with 21:1-8’s immediately following hope. |
| the second death | ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος | der zweite Tod | High | Judgment of the Wicked | 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8 | [NEW]; fixed technical phrase; qualitatively distinct from ordinary physical death. |
| lake of fire (and sulfur) | λίμνη τοῦ πυρός (καὶ θείου) | Feuersee | High | Judgment of the Wicked | 19:20; 20:10,14-15; 21:8 | [NEW]; pastoral framing required; not to be sensationalized or softened. |
| wrath (of God) | ὀργή / θυμός | Zorn | Medium-High | Judgment of the Wicked | 6:16-17; 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; 19:15 | [NEW]; German “Zorn” risks anthropomorphic misreading as capricious anger rather than righteous judicial response; mandatory theologian framing. |
| harvest / sickle | θερισμός / δρέπανον | Ernte / Sichel | Low | Judgment of the Wicked | 14:14-20 | [NEW] |
| the winepress of the wrath of God | ληνὸς τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ | die Kelter des Zornes Gottes | High | Judgment of the Wicked | 14:19-20; 19:15 | [NEW]; graphic imagery requires pastoral framing. |
Category E: New Creation, New Jerusalem, and Restoration Imagery
| Term (English) | Greek | German Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| new (qualitatively) | καινός | neu (teach as “neue Schöpfung”-consistent) | Medium-High | New Heaven and New Earth | 21:1,2,5 | [BASELINE REUSE — neue Schöpfung concept]; German lacks kainos/neos lexical distinction; context/teaching required. |
| sea (symbolic removal) | θάλασσα | Meer | Medium | New Heaven and New Earth / Symbolic Interpretation | 21:1 | [NEW]; symbolic removal of chaos/beast-origin, not a literal geography claim; cross-ref ch. 13. |
| new Jerusalem | καινὴ Ἰερουσαλήμ | neues Jerusalem | High | New Heaven and New Earth / Church as Bride | 3:12; 21:2,10 | [NEW]; German-specific Staatsräson sensitivity extending the Romans baseline’s “israel” caution; clarify heavenly/eschatological referent, not geopolitical commentary. |
| tabernacle / to dwell (tabernacle) | σκηνή / σκηνόω | wohnen unter/mit | Critical | New Heaven and New Earth / Incarnation | 21:3 | [BASELINE REUSE — verb pattern from John 1:14]; must be explicitly connected to “wohnte unter uns” and “Immanuel, Gott mit uns.” |
| tears wiped away / no more death, mourning, crying, pain | δάκρυον / θάνατος / πένθος / κραυγή / πόνος | Träne / Tod / Leid / Geschrei / Schmerz | Medium | New Heaven and New Earth / Vindication of the Saints | 21:4 | [NEW]; cross-reference 6:10’s martyrs’ cry as the specific referent resolved here. |
| It is done | Γέγοναν | Es ist geschehen | High | Sovereignty of God over History | 16:17; 21:6 | [NEW]; thematically (not lexically) parallel to John 19:30’s “Es ist vollbracht” — must not be rendered identically. |
| beginning and end | ἀρχή / τέλος | Anfang und Ende | Low | Sovereignty of God over History | 21:6; 22:13 | [NEW] |
| spring/fountain of the water of life | πηγή / ὕδωρ τῆς ζωῆς | Quelle / Wasser des Lebens | Medium | New Heaven and New Earth | 21:6; 22:1,17 | [NEW]; cross-reference John 4, 7 living-water sayings. |
| freely / as a gift, without cost | δωρεάν | umsonst / als Geschenk, aus Gnade | High | Grace / New Heaven and New Earth | 21:6; 22:17 | [BASELINE REUSE — Gnade concept]; German “umsonst” false-friend risk (“in vain”); phrase carefully. |
| the one who overcomes will inherit | ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει | wird erben | Medium | Perseverance / Adoption | 21:7 | [BASELINE REUSE — Kindschaft concept] |
| son (of believers) | υἱός | Sohn | High | Adoption into God’s Family | 21:7 | [NEW]; must be distinguished from the Critical “Sohn Gottes” title reserved for Christ’s unique Sonship. |
| the twelve gates / tribes / apostles | δώδεκα πύλαι / φυλαί / ἀπόστολοι | zwölf Tore / Stämme / Apostel | High | Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 21:12-14 | [NEW]; positive integrative image of covenant continuity, not supersession. |
| no temple (God and the Lamb are its temple) | οὐκ εἶδον ναὸν | Ich sah keinen Tempel | High | New Heaven and New Earth | 21:22 | [NEW]; continuity with σκηνόω/Incarnation theme; God’s presence now direct and unmediated. |
| the glory of God gave it light | ἡ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐφώτισεν αὐτήν | die Herrlichkeit Gottes erleuchtete sie | Medium | New Heaven and New Earth | 21:23 | [BASELINE REUSE — Herrlichkeit] |
| nothing unclean | οὐδὲν κοινόν | nichts Unreines | Medium | New Heaven and New Earth | 21:27 | [NEW]; cross-reference 21:8 vice list. |
| the river of the water of life | ποταμὸς ὕδατος ζωῆς | der Strom des Wassers des Lebens | Low-Medium | New Heaven and New Earth | 22:1 | [NEW]; Eden/Genesis 2:10 typology. |
| the tree of life / healing of the nations | ξύλον ζωῆς / θεραπεία τῶν ἐθνῶν | der Baum des Lebens / Heilung der Völker | Medium-High | New Heaven and New Earth / Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 2:7; 22:2 | [NEW]; guard against implying ongoing sickness/conflict in the eternal state. |
| there will no longer be a curse | οὐκ ἔσται … κατάρα | es wird keinen Fluch mehr geben | Medium | New Heaven and New Earth | 22:3 | [NEW]; distinguish from Galatians baseline’s “Fluch des Gesetzes” (specific Mosaic referent) — this is the cosmic Genesis 3 curse resolved. |
| do not add / do not take away | μὴ ἐπιθῇς / μὴ ἀφέλῃς | nichts hinzufügen / nichts wegnehmen | High | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation (canonical integrity) | 22:18-19 | [NEW]; self-referential clarification required: concerns transmission integrity, not legitimate translation. |
Category F: Structural, Numerical, and Genre-Signal Vocabulary
| Term (English) | Greek | German Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| revelation / unveiling | ἀποκάλυψις | Offenbarung | Medium-High | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation | 1:1 (title) | [NEW]; German loanword “Apokalypse” carries secular disaster-movie connotations requiring active distinction from the biblical genre. |
| trumpet | σάλπιγξ | Posaune | Low | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation | 8-9; 11 | [NEW] |
| seal | σφραγίς / σφραγίζω | Siegel / versiegeln | Medium | Sovereignty of God over History | 5-8 | [BASELINE REUSE — verb “versiegelt” from Ephesians]; double application (God’s people sealed for ownership; God’s plan for history sealed/unsealed) should be distinguished in teaching material. |
| the four horsemen | οἱ τέσσαρες ἵπποι | die vier [apokalyptischen] Reiter | Medium | Sovereignty of God over History / Symbolic Interpretation | 6:1-8 | [NEW]; reclaim from purely secular-catastrophist German idiom. |
| great earthquake | σεισμὸς μέγας | großes Erdbeben | Low-Medium | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation | 6:12; 8:5; 11:13,19; 16:18 | [NEW]; genre-sensitivity note (stock theophany/judgment imagery). |
| 144,000 | ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες | Hundertvierundvierzigtausend | High | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation / Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 7:4-8; 14:1,3 | [NEW]; proactively address symbolic (not literal-exclusive) function given prominent literalist misuse by some groups. |
| a great multitude | ὄχλος πολύς | eine große Menge | Low-Medium | Universal Scope of the Gospel | 7:9-17 | [NEW]; positive universal-scope teaching anchor. |
| washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb | πλύναντες τὰς στολὰς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀρνίου | ihre Kleider im Blut des Lammes gewaschen | High | Worship of the Lamb | 7:14 | [NEW]; concrete substitutionary-atonement image, not to be reduced to metaphorical purification. |
| white (garments) | λευκός / λευκά ἱμάτια | weiß(e) Kleider / Gewänder | Low-Medium | Perseverance / Vindication of the Saints | 3:4-5,18; 6:11; 7:9,13-14; 19:8,14 | [NEW]; recurring cross-book image. |
| a thousand years | χίλια ἔτη | tausend Jahre / das tausendjährige Reich | Critical (doctrinal non-adjudication) | Return and Reign of Christ / Symbolic Interpretation | 20:1-7 | [NEW]; must not silently adjudicate premillennial/amillennial/postmillennial debate; parallels baseline’s non-adjudication discipline for words of institution and election. |
| the book of life | βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς | das Buch des Lebens | Medium | Judgment of the Wicked / Perseverance | 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27; 22:19 | [NEW]; cross-reference all occurrences for consistency. |
| repentance | μετάνοια / μετανοέω | Buße / Buße tun | High | Perseverance and Faithful Witness | 2:5,16,21-22; 3:3,19; 9:20-21; 16:9,11 | [BASELINE REUSE]; note the added nuance of corporate/church-level (not only individual) repentance calls. |
| Nicolaitans / Balaam / Jezebel | Νικολαῖται / Βαλαάμ / Ἰεζάβελ | Nikolaiten / Bileam / Isebel | Low-Medium | Perseverance and Faithful Witness | 2:6,14-15,20 | [NEW]; OT background needed for low-literacy readers. |
| virgins (undefiled) | παρθένοι | Jungfrauen / die sich rein gehalten haben | Medium | Perseverance and Faithful Witness | 14:4 | [NEW]; symbolic covenant-fidelity language, not a literal universal celibacy requirement. |
| merchants / trade | ἐμπόριον / ἔμποροι | Kaufleute / Handel | Medium | Judgment of the Wicked | 18:11-19 | [NEW]; slave-trade cargo-list (18:13) requires the baseline’s colonial-sensitivity discipline. |
Risk Summary for This Package
| Risk Tier | Count (approx.) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 16 | Human theologian, mandatory, every occurrence |
| High | 24 | Human theologian |
| Medium-High | 8 | Human theologian (recommended) / native speaker minimum |
| Medium | 20 | Native speaker review |
| Low / Low-Medium | 17 | Automated / native speaker spot-check |
Highest-priority flags for Phase 1 Step 2 (doctrine risk registry construction):
- “Synagoge des Satans” (2:9; 3:9) — Critical, parallel force to the Matthew baseline’s Matthew 27:25 rule.
- ζῷον vs. θηρίον lexical collision (“Wesen” vs. “Tier”) — Critical, structural throughout chs. 4-20.
- χάραγμα vs. στίγματα collision (“das Malzeichen des Tieres” vs. “die Malzeichen Jesu”) — High, structural in ch. 13 vs. Galatians baseline.
- μάρτυς/μαρτυρία “Zeuge” vs. “Märtyrer” semantic bridge — Critical, structural throughout the book.
- The millennium (χίλια ἔτη, ch. 20) — Critical doctrinal non-adjudication requirement.
- νικάω (“überwinden”) consistency across all eight refrain occurrences — Critical.
- Lordship/Kyrios consistency in the book’s most climactic titles (11:15; 17:14; 19:16; 22:20-21) — Critical, per Romans 10:9.
This glossary feeds directly into the Phase 1 Step 2 doctrine risk registry extension and the Phase 1 Step 3 translation memory update for the Revelation curriculum.
Critical Risk Terms
Before Abraham I Am
Approved rendering: Ehe denn Abraham ward, bin ich
Transliteration: Ehe denn Abraham ward, bin ich
Doctrine: Deity of Christ in Revelation
Inherited from John package (8:58). Cited as the comparative-weight anchor for Revelation’s ‘der Erste und der Letzte’ (1:17; 2:8) — both are direct, unambiguous divine-name-level claims requiring identical theologian-level teaching weight.
Curse Of The Law
Approved rendering: Fluch des Gesetzes
Transliteration: Fluch des Gesetzes
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Galatians package. Must be explicitly distinguished in teaching material from Revelation 22:3’s broader, Genesis-rooted cosmic curse (‘es wird keinen Fluch mehr geben’) — the Galatians referent is the specific, judicial Mosaic-covenant curse; Revelation 22:3 resolves the curse at the fullest possible cosmic scale.
God
Approved rendering: Gott
Transliteration: Gott
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In Revelation, God is repeatedly titled ‘der auf dem Thron sitzt’ and ‘Allmächtiger’; German readers in the former East Germany with low religious literacy may encounter ‘Gott’ as cultural-historical vocabulary rather than a live sovereign claim, a risk this book’s dense throne-room imagery must actively counter.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Heiliger Geist
Transliteration: Heiliger Geist
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον / τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. The ‘seven Spirits’ (1:4; 4:5; 5:6) figure of speech for the one Holy Spirit’s fullness must not be misread as multiple spirits or an impersonal force; this is apocalyptic-numeric idiom for the Spirit’s complete, sevenfold operation. United with the Church-as-Bride’s voice at 22:17 (‘Der Geist und die Braut sprechen: Komm!’).
I And The Father Are One
Approved rendering: Ich und der Vater sind eins
Transliteration: Ich und der Vater sind eins
Doctrine: Deity of Christ in Revelation
Inherited from John package (10:30). Comparative-weight anchor for Revelation’s deity-of-Christ material, consistent with the cross-document pattern of direct divine-identity claims.
Immanuel
Approved rendering: Immanuel, das ist verdolmetscht: Gott mit uns
Transliteration: Immanuel, das ist verdolmetscht: Gott mit uns
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Matthew package (1:23). Forms, with word_became_flesh, the second half of the mandatory three-way cross-reference required whenever Revelation 21:3’s tabernacling-presence language is taught.
In The Beginning Was The Word
Approved rendering: Im Anfang war das Wort, und das Wort war bei Gott, und Gott war das Wort
Transliteration: Im Anfang war das Wort, und das Wort war bei Gott, und Gott war das Wort
Doctrine: Deity of Christ in Revelation
Rejected alternatives: Am Anfang war die Tat (Goethe’s Faust — a literary, not translation, choice)
Inherited from John package (1:1). Must be explicitly connected in teaching material to Revelation 19:13’s ‘das Wort Gottes’ title for the returning conquering Christ, tying Revelation’s climactic Christophany to this pipeline’s single most theologically concentrated Christological statement.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: Es ist vollbracht
Transliteration: Es ist vollbracht
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Rejected alternatives: es ist vorbei (too weak, loses the completion sense)
Inherited from John package (19:30, τετέλεσται). MUST NOT be used interchangeably with Revelation’s ‘Es ist geschehen’ (16:17; 21:6, γέγονεν) — a different Greek verb; the two completion-announcements are thematically parallel but lexically and verbally distinct and must never be rendered identically.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: Siehe, das ist Gottes Lamm, welches der Welt Sünde trägt
Transliteration: Siehe, das ist Gottes Lamm, welches der Welt Sünde trägt
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Inherited from John package (1:29, ἀμνός). A distinct Greek word from Revelation’s ἀρνίον, but German tradition renders both ‘Lamm’ for continuity of referent; teaching material must clarify that Revelation’s ‘das Lamm’ functions with title-density (28 occurrences) absent from this single Gospel reference.
Lord
Approved rendering: Herr
Transliteration: Herr
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Meister, Chef
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (Romans 10:9). Must render identically in Revelation’s climactic Lordship titles: ‘König der Könige und Herr der Herren’ (17:14; 19:16), ‘Das Königreich der Welt ist unseres Herrn… geworden’ (11:15), and ‘komm, Herr Jesus’ (22:20). ‘Herr’ doubles as the everyday German title ‘Mr.’ with no protective alternative honorific, an unusually acute flattening risk given Revelation’s concentration of the canon’s most triumphant Lordship confessions, several reinforced by Handel’s Messiah in German choral culture.
My Lord And My God
Approved rendering: Mein Herr und mein Gott!
Transliteration: Mein Herr und mein Gott!
Doctrine: Deity of Christ in Revelation
Inherited from John package (20:28). Comparative anchor for Revelation’s own climactic worship confessions (5:9-14; 19:1-6).
Not Of Works
Approved rendering: nicht aus Werken
Transliteration: nicht aus Werken
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Ephesians package (2:9). Background doctrine ensuring Revelation 21:6/22:17’s ‘umsonst’ (freely, as a gift) is never read as contradicting this established grace-not-of-works discipline; German ‘umsonst’ is a false-friend risk (‘in vain’) requiring the qualifying phrase ‘ohne Bezahlung, aus Gnade.‘
Righteousness
Approved rendering: Gerechtigkeit
Transliteration: Gerechtigkeit
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked and Vindication of the Saints
Rejected alternatives: Tugend
Inherited from Romans package. Background for 16:5-7’s explicit divine self-vindication (‘gerecht bist du… wahrhaftig und gerecht sind deine Gerichte’), the key passage resisting an anthropomorphic-caprice misreading of ‘Zorn.‘
Seven I Am Statements
Approved rendering: Ich bin
Transliteration: Ich bin
Doctrine: Deity of Christ in Revelation
Inherited from John package. Background for Revelation’s own ‘Ich bin das A und O’ self-declarations (1:8; 21:6; 22:13), part of the same fixed-rendering discipline requiring absolute consistency for divine self-declaration formulas across this pipeline.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Sohn Gottes
Transliteration: Sohn Gottes
Doctrine: Deity of Christ in Revelation
Inherited from Romans package. Reserved exclusively for Christ’s unique, eternal, co-equal Sonship; must be kept sharply distinct from 21:7’s derived, adoptive ‘Sohn’ language applied to believing overcomers — conflating the two titles would be a serious doctrinal error.
Universal Lordship Confession
Approved rendering: Jesus Christus ist der Herr
Transliteration: Jesus Christus ist der Herr
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Inherited from Philippians package (2:10-11). Must render consistently with Revelation 11:15’s ‘unseres Herrn’ and 17:14/19:16’s ‘Herr der Herren’ — all instances of climactic Lordship confession across this pipeline must match Romans 10:9 exactly.
Word Became Flesh
Approved rendering: das Wort ward Fleisch und wohnte unter uns
Transliteration: das Wort ward Fleisch und wohnte unter uns
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from John package (1:14). This is the single most theologically load-bearing intertextual echo underlying Revelation 21:3’s ‘er wird bei ihnen wohnen’ (skēnoō); teaching material must explicitly connect the two so the New Jerusalem’s tabernacling presence is received as the Incarnation’s cosmic consummation, not a fresh, unconnected phrase.
High Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: Gemeinde
Transliteration: Gemeinde
Doctrine: The Church as Bride of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Kirche (institution-default)
Inherited from Romans package. Preferred over ‘Kirche’ when the referent is the New Testament gathered people (the seven churches, chs. 2-3; the Bride, chs. 19, 21-22), consistent with this curriculum’s baseline preference.
Election
Approved rendering: Erwählung
Transliteration: Erwählung
Doctrine: The Millennium and Its Interpretive Traditions
Inherited from Romans package. Background doctrine relevant to the book-of-life imagery (3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27) and to the German Reformed/Lutheran non-adjudication discipline already established in the baseline.
Firstborn From The Dead
Approved rendering: der Erstgeborene von den Toten
Transliteration: der Erstgeborene von den Toten
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Original: πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν
Category: Christology
Inherited from Colossians package (1:18), reused exactly for Revelation 1:5’s identical phrase-family Christological title in the book’s opening doxology, directly tying this book to that established baseline entry.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: Heiden
Transliteration: Heiden
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in the New Jerusalem
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for the ‘nations’/ethnē vocabulary distinct from ‘Heiden’ where Revelation uses ‘Völker’ (e.g., 21:24-26, 22:2); teaching material must not conflate the two Greek terms under a single flattened German rendering.
Gift Of God
Approved rendering: Gottes Geschenk
Transliteration: Gottes Geschenk
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Ephesians package (2:8). Directly continued by Revelation 21:6/22:17’s ‘umsonst’ (dōrean) — salvation’s final gift, given without payment or merit, must preserve this same grace-not-of-works sense established here.
Grace
Approved rendering: Gnade
Transliteration: Gnade
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Barmherzigkeit, Wohlwollen
Inherited from Romans package. Reused exactly in the book’s and the New Testament’s closing benediction (22:21, ‘Die Gnade des Herrn Jesus sei mit allen’), the fitting doctrinal capstone reminding readers that even this judgment-dense book’s final word is unmerited grace.
Law
Approved rendering: Gesetz
Transliteration: Gesetz
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked and Vindication of the Saints
Inherited from Romans package. Low direct occurrence in Revelation itself, retained for cross-document consistency and background to the ‘curse of the law’ contrast at 22:3.
New Creation
Approved rendering: neue Schöpfung
Transliteration: neue Schöpfung
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package. The controlling background concept for 21:1,2,5’s ‘neu’ (kainos); German lacks the kainos/neos lexical distinction, so this baseline phrase must be explicitly invoked in teaching material to prevent a ‘renovated cosmos’ misreading of the core passage.
Repentance
Approved rendering: Buße
Transliteration: Buße
Doctrine: Patient Endurance and Everyday Christian Perseverance Ethics
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Perseverance
Inherited from Matthew package. Revelation’s distinctive extension: the single most frequent imperative across the seven letters (2:5,16,21-22; 3:3,19; 9:20-21; 16:9,11) is addressed to entire churches, not only individual converts — a corporate-repentance nuance beyond the Matthew baseline’s individual-conversion focus, requiring an added teaching note.
Saints
Approved rendering: Heilige
Transliteration: die Heiligen
Doctrine: Priesthood of All Believers
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. The Catholic ‘die Heiligen’ (canonized saints) versus Lutheran/Reformed all-believers sense remains a live fault line for Germany’s roughly even historical Catholic/Protestant split; Revelation’s much higher-frequency, structurally important use of this term (5:8; 8:3-4; 11:18; 13:7,10; 14:12; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:8; 20:9) increases the practical stakes versus its use in Romans. Gloss as ‘alle Gläubigen’ at first occurrence in each major block.
Sealed With The Spirit
Approved rendering: versiegelt
Transliteration: versiegelt
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Inherited from Ephesians package (1:13). Reused for Revelation 7:3-8’s sealing of the 144,000; teaching material should note the deliberate double use of the same root — God’s people sealed for ownership/protection (7:3-8, echoing Ephesians 1:13) versus God’s plan for history sealed and progressively unsealed (5:1ff, the seven seals) — as two related but distinct applications of one image.
Medium Risk Terms
Abba
Approved rendering: Abba
Transliteration: Abba
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Inherited from Romans package. Not itself present in Revelation’s text, but retained for cross-document consistency given the adoption/Kindschaft doctrine’s continuation into 21:7’s ‘Sohn’ language.
Adoption
Approved rendering: Kindschaft
Transliteration: Kindschaft
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Adoption (bare, legal-procedural)
Inherited from Romans package. Must be taught alongside 21:7’s overcomer-inheritance promise (‘wird erben… er wird mein Sohn sein’) so ‘erben’ reads as full-sonship inheritance, not a generic prize.
Called
Approved rendering: berufen
Transliteration: berufen
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Inherited from Romans package. Background for 17:14’s ‘die Berufenen und Auserwählten und Gläubigen’ accompanying the Lamb.
Calling
Approved rendering: Berufung
Transliteration: Berufung
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Inherited from Romans package. Same career/legal-appeal homonym-collision caution applies wherever this noun form is used in teaching material referencing 17:14.
Covenant
Approved rendering: Bund
Transliteration: Bund
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in the New Jerusalem
Inherited from Romans package. Background for the covenant-formula language of 21:3 (‘sie werden sein Volk sein, und er, Gott, wird bei ihnen sein’) echoing Leviticus 26:12 and Ezekiel 37:27.
Down Payment
Approved rendering: Unterpfand
Transliteration: Unterpfand
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Inherited from Ephesians package (1:14). Background for the inheritance-guarantee theme continued in Revelation 21:7’s ‘wird erben.‘
Faith
Approved rendering: Glaube
Transliteration: Glaube
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Rejected alternatives: Weltanschauung
Inherited from Romans package. Directly negated by ‘ungläubig’ (apistos) in the 21:8 vice list; background for ‘der Glaube Jesu’ (14:12).
Father
Approved rendering: Vater
Transliteration: Vater
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Inherited from Romans package. God as personal Father; relevant to Revelation’s Davidic-covenant-son language extended to overcomers (21:7).
Glory
Approved rendering: Herrlichkeit
Transliteration: Herrlichkeit
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Romans package. Reused exactly at Revelation 21:23 (‘die Herrlichkeit Gottes erleuchtete sie’), God’s radiant presence replacing the sun and moon as the New Jerusalem’s light source.
Holy
Approved rendering: heilig
Transliteration: heilig
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Rejected alternatives: rein
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Applied in Revelation to the holy city (21:2,10) and the closing purity warning (22:19); applied to a place rather than to persons directly, lowering but not eliminating the connection to the ‘Heilige’ doctrine below.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: Menschwerdung
Transliteration: Menschwerdung
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Romans package. Background doctrine for the σκηνόω echo at Revelation 21:3, which is the eschatological consummation of the Incarnation’s ‘God with us’ promise.
Intercession
Approved rendering: Fürbitte
Transliteration: Fürbitte
Doctrine: Assurance of God’s Final Victory over Evil
Inherited from Romans package. Background for the saints’ prayers presented at the altar (5:8; 8:3-4), which must not be taught as implying an independent angelic-mediation doctrine beyond the text’s own imagery.
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Israel
Doctrine: The New Jerusalem and Israel-Sensitivity
Inherited from Romans package. Germany’s Staatsräson policy explicitly tying German national identity to the modern State of Israel’s security makes this term especially prone to conflation with Revelation’s twelve-tribes and New Jerusalem imagery (7:4-8; 21:12-14); teaching material must repeatedly clarify the typological, non-geopolitical referent of these passages.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Reich Gottes
Transliteration: Reich Gottes
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Kept theologically distinct in teaching material from ‘das tausendjährige Reich’ (20:1-7) and from any 20th-century political sense of ‘Reich’ — the latter distinction requires much stronger reinforcement in Revelation than in Romans, given the ch. 20 Nazi-era collocation risk (see thousand_years_millennium entry below).
Messiah
Approved rendering: Messias
Transliteration: Messias
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Background for ‘seines Christus’ at 11:15’s kingdom announcement and for the messianic morning-star title (2:28; 22:16, cf. Numbers 24:17).
Mission
Approved rendering: Mission
Transliteration: Mission
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in the New Jerusalem
Inherited from Romans package. Background for the universal-scope imagery of 5:9’s new song (‘aus allen Stämmen und Sprachen und Völkern und Nationen’) and 7:9’s great multitude.
Providence
Approved rendering: Vorsehung
Transliteration: Vorsehung
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Inherited from Romans package. The Enlightenment/Kantian deist sense of ‘die Vorsehung’ as an impersonal governing order is a live risk against Revelation’s dense, personal, purposive throne-room sovereignty imagery (Allmächtiger, Thron, Alpha und Omega) — must not be imported into this book’s imagery without the baseline’s personal/purposive qualification.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: Auferstehung
Transliteration: Auferstehung
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Bodily, historical event; background for the two witnesses’ resurrection (11:11) and the ‘first resurrection’ of 20:5-6.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: Heiligung
Transliteration: Heiligung
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Romans package. The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy; background doctrine for the New Jerusalem’s purity requirements (21:27; 22:14-15).
Sin
Approved rendering: Sünde
Transliteration: Sünde
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked and Vindication of the Saints
Inherited from Romans package. Background for the vice list of 21:8 and 22:15’s exclusion of the unrepentant.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: Apostel
Transliteration: Apostel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in the New Jerusalem
Inherited from Romans package. Directly present in the New Jerusalem’s foundation-naming (21:14, ‘zwölf Apostel’).
David
Approved rendering: David
Transliteration: David
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Background for the ‘Wurzel Davids’ title (5:5; 22:16) and the ‘Schlüssel Davids’ (3:7).
Gospel
Approved rendering: Evangelium
Transliteration: Evangelium
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Not a frequent Revelation term itself but retained as the pipeline’s foundational term for the ‘eternal gospel’ proclaimed by the angel of 14:6.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesus
Transliteration: Jesus
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Stable across all German Bible traditions; addressed directly in Revelation’s closing prayer (22:20-21).
Marks Of Jesus
Approved rendering: die Malzeichen Jesu
Transliteration: die Malzeichen Jesu
Doctrine: The Mark of the Beast and the Identity of Evil
Inherited from Galatians package (6:17, Paul’s scars of faithful apostolic service). CRITICAL cross-reference caution: German conventionally renders both this term (στίγματα) and Revelation’s χάραγμα (the beast’s mark) as ‘Malzeichen’; this curriculum mandates that Revelation’s term always appear as the qualified ‘das Malzeichen des Tieres,’ never bare, and that teaching material explicitly contrast the two wherever both are discussed.
Peace
Approved rendering: Friede
Transliteration: Friede
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Inherited from Romans package. Relational peace with God; background for the comprehensive removal of conflict and pain in the new creation (21:4).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: Weissagung
Transliteration: Weissagung
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Inherited from Romans package. Revelation repeatedly calls itself ‘die Worte der Weissagung dieses Buches’ (22:7,10,18-19), directly governing the canonical-integrity warning.
Prophet
Approved rendering: Prophet
Transliteration: Prophet
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to John’s own self-understanding as the book’s recipient/writer and to the two witnesses’ prophetic role (ch. 11).
Referenced passages